Official blog of the Asian American Bar Association of New York
AABANY congratulates Karen Kithan Yau for being honored at the upcoming CPC (Chinese-American Planning Council) Brooklyn Community Services 40th Anniversary Gala, on October 17. We encourage you to consider buying tickets or making a donation in honor of Karen. Click on the second image to download the payment form. If you are interested in forming a table with AABANY, contact [email protected].
The Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) was invited by the Asian American Federation and some of its member agencies – not-for-profit organizations that have substantial Chinese-speaking staff – to help with training their limited-English-proficient staff in their native languages on the prevention of sexual harassment in order to meet the new requirements under the New York State and New York City Human Rights Law.
On behalf of AABANY, Karen Kithan Yau, a co-chair of the Pro Bono and Community Service Committee and Eric Su, a co-chair of the Labor and Employment Law Committee, both of whom are long-time employment lawyers, representing workers and employers respectively, gave three trainings, one in Cantonese Chinese, one in Mandarin Chinese, and one in English. The trainings took place in late September and early October. The training participants included kitchen and housekeeping staff, part-time teachers, museum staff, policy advocates, and an executive director. The discussion was rich, lively, and illuminating.
Every New York State employer is now required to provide sexual harassment training o their employees annually. That means that, as of October 9, 2019, every employer should have provided their first such training. Moreover, the New York State and City laws now protect virtually all employees, including contractors, subcontractors, vendors, consultants or others providing services from sexual harassment in the workplace. Thus the need to provide linguistically and culturally competent instruction is acute. The New York City Human Rights Commission has provided impressive training materials, including online trainings in 11 languages. However, there remain employees who will need training in their native languages. Experienced employment attorneys or skilled trainers of human resources areas who are linguistically and culturally competent will continue to be needed.
Learn more about AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service Committee here. Learn more about AABANY’s Labor and Employment Law Committee here. Thanks to Karen and Eric for providing these trainings to organizations serving the Asian American community.
On October 2, 2019, the AABANY Real Estate Committee presented the CLE entitled: “Understanding Diversity and Inclusion in Our Everyday World.” The CLE was co sponsored by Flushing Bank, Big Apple Abstract Corp, KALAGNY, and Littler. It took place at Flushing Bank in New Hyde Park, New York and was attended by 40 attorneys. The panelists were AABANY’s very own William Ng, Shareholder at Littler; Samitha Lukose-Khan of Flushing Bank; and Sanjay Nair, Associate at Littler. The CLE was moderated by Margaret Ling, Co-Chair of the AABANY Real Estate Committee. The presentation invoked some powerful and informative discussion specifically on diversity, inclusion and bias in the legal profession.
Pictured above from left to right: Riyaad Khan of Allstate Insurance; Maria Silva of Flushing Bank; Margaret Ling of Big Apple Abstract and AABANY; Thomas Kane of Flushing Bank; Mohammad Yusuf of Flushing Bank; William Ng of Littler; Sanjay Nair of Littler.
On Saturday, September 21, 2019, AABANY held its 10th annual Fall Conference together with NAPABA for the 2019 NAPABA Northeast Regional/AABANY Fall Conference, “United in Action and Vision: Towards 2020 Together.” For the third year in a row, the conference took place in Fordham University School of Law. This year marked our biggest yet, with about 450 attendees throughout the day. On Friday evening, September 20, we held a Welcome Reception at Supernova, a rooftop bar in the Novotel Hotel on West 52nd Street, to kick off the Conference, open to all attendees from New York and the Northeast region.
This year, many programs throughout the morning and afternoon offered CLE credits to attending attorneys. Twenty CLE programs were available, covering many different topics ranging from Asian American Voter Protection to Pro Bono Clinics. Also available were non-CLE programs such as the In-House Counsel Forum and “Asian American Women Corporate Counsel in Television.” In addition to all the programs offered at the Fall Conference, we had Pitch Sessions, Trial Advocacy Program (TAP), Professional Development Coaching sessions, and a Diversity Career Fair and Expo. Numerous employers from all over New York City and State set up informational tables at the Diversity Career Fair to speak with prospective candidates. This was a great way for law students, recent graduates, and practicing attorneys to learn more about the employers and their different areas of practice. Some of the employers set up onsite interviews to speak with Fall Conference attendees who submitted resumes in advance.
In one of our morning programs, the Pro Bono Committee hosted “The Art and Science of Interviewing Pro Bono Clients.” The program addressed how to communicate with and educate the clients, collect information, and manage clients’ frustrations. This included a necessary discussion regarding proper translation issues that would arise as well as establishing a reliable relationship with an interpreter. Beatrice Leong and Jonathan D. Hernandez simulated an effective and ineffective client intake meeting to demonstrate the important takeaways of this program.
Another program that took place was “State and Federal Clerkships: A Primer on Seeking, Landing, and Succeeding in the Right Clerkship for You,” organized by AABANY’s Judiciary Committee, which discussed the benefits of a clerkship, steps to landing a clerkship, and some tips on how to be successful at a clerkship. The panelists highlighted how a clerkship can help with professional development, legal writing and research skills, and building a network. The panelists were also able to give some insight into the differences between state and federal court clerkships, the application process, and how to approach interviews.
The Plenary Lunch Session featured a Special Screening of the award-winning documentary “And Then They Came for Us.” This documentary reflects on the story of Executive Order 9066 and the internment of 120,000 Japanese-Americans during World War II. It also highlighted the landmark Korematsu v. United States case and its relation to the civil rights issues people of color and under-represented communities face today. The screening was followed by a discussion with NAPABA Trailblazer Dale Minami, who was Fred Korematsu’s lawyer, and the filmmaker, Abby Ginzberg.
More programs continued in the afternoon including the Connecticut Asian Pacific Bar Association’s “Opioids and the Courts” program. This program discussed the national opioid epidemic created by certain pharmaceutical companies and how states and individuals are bringing lawsuits against those companies. We heard directly from William Tong, Attorney General of the State of Connecticut, and his approach to the multi-district litigation in Ohio that is scheduled for trial in October 2019.
Our afternoon included additional insightful programs such as “Cybersecurity: 20/20 Hindsight Not Good Enough in 2020,” organized by AABANY’s Commercial Restructuring and Bankruptcy Committee, which discussed the cybersecurity industry today, and how lawyers can help prevent data breaches and safeguard against bad actors. The panelists gave advice on how attorneys can stay ahead of data breaches and protect their clients – mainly through diligent pre-breach planning, training staff on signs of a breach, and preparing a response plan in case of a breach. The panelists also offered some advice on the ethical concerns that arise when a breach occurs, and how to best handle them.
After the programs concluded, a Cocktail Reception was held in the Bateman Room and the terrace outside the Soden Lounge. Attorneys and participants connected and reconnected with peers, friends and colleagues from AABANY and NAPABA. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong offered opening remarks to all in attendance, followed by President Brian Song presenting AABANY’s Norman Lau Kee Trailblazer Award to Parkin Lee, Chief Legal Officer of the Rockefeller Group. Parkin Lee is a pillar of the Asian American legal community who has paved the way for generations of Asian American attorneys in New York and across the country.
The night didn’t stop there as we continued the festivities in the heart of New York City at the Ascent Lounge to enjoy a Post-Conference Dinner. Located in Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle, the lounge was the celebratory finale to the Conference, and participants got to mix and mingle over a dinner buffet, drinks and dessert, with views of Central Park at night.
Many thanks to all the participants including the speakers, moderators, program coordinators, and volunteers. Thanks to our sponsors for their support which made this successful Conference possible. We also thank Fordham Law School for hosting us at their exquisite facility.
For some photos from the Conference visit AABANY’s Facebook page. The albums are organized according to the volunteers who took them: Laura Tsang, Guanlan Shen, Katherine Shen and Ziqi Guan.
Thanks to Justin Chan, Tiffany Cheung, Dasheng Lin, Wai Wong, and Lia Kim, our law student volunteers from Cardozo Law School, for their help in drafting this blog post.
AABANY’s Student Outreach Committee was pleased to host the Annual Law Student Mixer at District Social in midtown Manhattan on Thursday, September 6, 2019. Local APALSA leaders, law students, and AABANY members gathered to mingle and foster new connections. Following in the footsteps of last year’s Law Student Mixer, the entire private cellar of the venue was specifically reserved for this event. Despite the weather, there were 60 attendees present, filling out the venue space. Attendees were treated to an assortment of delicious gastropub foods including flatbreads, sliders, and parmesan fries.
The event was co-sponsored by AABANY’s Asia Practice, Membership, Student Outreach and Young Lawyers Committees. The committees were successful in introducing law students to AABANY at what was the first AABANY event for many of them.
Thank you to the co-chairs of the four committees for co-hosting this successful event. If you are not already a member, we hope your attendance brings you closer to becoming a member or renewing your membership, and thank you to all of the members who came out. We encourage everyone to attend the next AABANY mixer on October 30.
Overview Become a Convention sponsor to take part in this year’s NAPABA Connects Program! NAPABA Connects is an opportunity for law firm Convention sponsors at the solo and small firm ($3,000) level and silver ($10,000) or higher level to foster relationships with in-house counsel (IHC). All participants are invited to exclusive touch points intended to provide Connects participants with exclusive networking opportunities in an informal social setting during the Convention. Solo and small firm sponsors and gold or higher level sponsors may participate in formal one-on-one meetings to discuss potential work opportunities. All program participants must be registered and attending the NAPABA Convention.
Law Firm One-on-One Meeting Application | Deadline: Monday, Sept. 9 at 5 p.m. ET
Solo and small firm and gold or higher level sponsors are invited to submit an application for one-on-one meetings with in-house counsel participants at NAPABA Convention.
Solo and small firm and gold sponsors will have access to a maximum of two meetings. Platinum and higher level sponsors will have access to unlimited meetings.
To submit an application by Sept. 9, 5 p.m. ET, email Meetings Manager Pang Moua at [email protected].
Not a sponsor yet? Click here to learn more about partnering with us!
Touch Points
Solo and small firm and silver or higher level sponsors are invited to participate in the exclusive touch points below, taking place at the 2019 NAPABA Convention:
On August 28, 2019, IP Committee members gathered for a Filipino dinner at Mama Fina’s House of Filipino Sisig.
A mix of old and new members attended. Some were just learning about IP, while others had years of experience in the industry. We dined on delicious dishes such as pork sisig, crispy pata, and kare-kare as we networked.
We also previewed the IP Committee’s upcoming NAPABA Northeast Regional/AABANY Fall Conference panel: Far From Home: Cultural and Legal Considerations When Bringing Your Brand To New Territories.
To learn more about the IP Committee and to get involved, please go to https://www.aabany.org/page/145
AABANY is proud to announce that William H. Ng, Shareholder at Littler Mendelson P.C. , has been recognized as a Top 40 Young Lawyer by the American Bar Association (ABA) Young Lawyers Division. To read the full press release on the Littler website, please go here: https://www.littler.com/publication-press/press/aba-young-lawyers-division-names-littlers-william-h-ng-among-2019-top-40
The ABA On The Rise Award program provides national recognition for young lawyer members who exemplify a broad range of high achievement, innovation, vision, leadership, and legal and community service. To read more about the 2019 ABA Honorees, go here: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/young_lawyers/awards_scholarships/on_the_rise/2019-honorees/
For more information and to register, please contact Erin Sweeney at [email protected]. Deadline to register is June 21, 5PM. Classes are offered in English only. Participants must be a green card holder
NYC Family Justice Center, Manhattan (MFJC) Advanced Training Offerings: May-June 2019
The Manhattan FJC is excited to announce our next round of advanced training offerings.
Please click here to register for each training you are interested in attending. All training is FREE and provide professional development for service providers, community leaders, and City agencies on relevant topics regarding intimate partner violence, sex trafficking and elder abuse.
Thursday, May 30, 10:00am-12:00pm, Tech Abuse
Facilitated by National Network to End Domestic Violence
| Thursday, May 30th, 1:00pm-4:00pm, Conducting a Nuanced and Holistic Assessment in Intimate Partner Violence Cases. Facilitated by: Facilitated by Steps to End Family Violence |
| Thursday, June 6, 10:00am-1:00pm, Consumer Law Facilitated by: CAMBA |
All trainings take place at:
80 Centre Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10013
Space is limited. Please bring a photo I.D. and plan to arrive 15-20 minutes early to avoid security delays.
For more information, questions about the registration link, or to add any colleagues to the MFJC trainings list, please email Indhira Castro at [email protected].